Work jig for flexible moldings



Oct. 7, 1958 R. BRUNSTING ETAL 2,855,046

WORK JIG FOR FLEXIBLE MOLDINGS Filed May 24, 1955 )INVENTOR. Ra/pfi ,13/0/75/7279 f% 5. BY (/dfflke 4/. Came/mm 4 TTOR/VEY United States Patent WORK JIG FOR FLEXIBLE MOLDIN GS Ralph Brunsting and Clarence M. Cassclman, Kalamazoo, Mich., assignors to Ra-Ma Company, Inc., Kaiarnaaoo, Mich.

Application May 24, 1955, Serial No. 510,690

8 Claims. (Cl. 164-79) This invention relates to improvement in a work jig for flexible moldings.

The principal objects of this invention are:

First, to provide a work holding jig that will permit elongated flat flexible moldings to be transversely grooved for folding the molding around interior and exterior corners.

Second, to provide a work holding jig that will bend a strip of generally flat flexible molding into U-shape and expose the exterior of the U-bend so that a flat strip may be cut from the folded molding to provide a trans verse groove in the molding.

Third, to provide a work holding jig having foldable plates that bend the work and and constitute guide edges for a knife to cut a strip from the folded edge of the work.

Fourth, to provide a work holding jig with foldable backing plates and a mandrel adjustably mounted between the folded positions of the plates to project the folded edge of work material positioned between the plates and around the mandrel at variable distances beyond the edges of the folded plates for making variable depth cuts in the exposed edge of the work.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from consideration of the following description and claims. The drawings, of which there is one sheet illustrate a highly practical form of the Work jig in various operational positions.

Fig. l is a plan view of the jig with portions broken away in horizontal cross section and with a piece of work material mounted in the jig.

Fig. 2 is a transverse cross sectional view taken along the plane of the line 22 in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the jig and work in folded position.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary transverse cross sectional view illustrating the operation of cutting the work in the folded jig.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary perspective view of the work or molding cut for an exterior corner.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary horizontal cross sectional view of the molding cut and formed into an interior corner.

Baseboards of rubber or other flexible material having generally flat elongated upper portions and forwardly turned molded ribs along their lower edges are currrently available for forming molds or baseboards along the lower edges of walls in kitchens and other rooms. It has been the practice in installing these mold boards which come in measured lengths to install the boards in straight pieces along the sides of a room and to employ separate molded corners at interior and exterior corners of the wall. The molded corner pieces are not only expensive but often do not match exactly the color of the flat mold boards and the present invention permits the flat mold boards to be extended continuously around corners of the room thus eliminating separate molded corners.

The work holding jig for adapting a length of the mold board for corner installation comprises a pair of flat plates 1 and 2 desirably of relatively heavy gauge metal plate. The plates are provided at adjacent longitudinal edges with pairs of coacting hinge blocks 33 that project beyond the adjacent or inner edges of the plates in overlapping relation. The hinge blocks receive and are interconnected by hinge pins or pivots 4 that are longitudinally aligned and spaced upwardly from the plates above the adjacent edges of the plates. The hinge pins permit the plates to be folded into parallel side by side position as shown in Figs. 3 and 4 and the upper surface of the hinge blocks 3 desirably function as stops for holding the plates in parallel spaced relation.

The plate 2 is provided with transversely extending mandrel support bars 5 that are adjustable transversely of the plate by reason of their attaching screws 6 passing through slots 7 in the plate 2. The support bars 5 carry a longitudinally extending mandrel 8 adjacent to the inner or abutting edges of the plates 1 and 2 and with the center of the mandrel desirably spaced from its supporting plate by the same distance as the pivot pins 4 so that when the plates are folded the mandrel will be equally distant between the plates. The mandrel has a cylindrically curved outer surface 9 and may conveniently consist as illustrated of a cylindrical rod of substantial thickness.

In using the work jig the plates 1 and 2 are unfolded to flat relationship and the strip of flexible mold board 10 is slid along the surface of the plates and between the mandrel 8 and the plate 2. The surfaces of the plates 1 and 2 are provided at their adjacent edges with shallow grooves 11 that receive the edge of the mold board when the mold board is provided with a molding flange or rib 12 that is deflected downwardly by engagement with the mandrel. The mold board is drawn through the jig until the line on which the corner fold is desired to be made is positioned directly under the mandrel 8. The plates 1 and 2 are then folded into the positions illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4 so that the folded outer edge 13 of the mold board projects slightly beyond the spaced parallel edges of the plates.

Adjustment of the mandrel support bars 5 permits variation of the amount of the mold board that projects beyond the plates. The folding plates and mandrel naturally stretch the outer portion of the mold board in position so that a knife 14 passed along and guided by the edges 18 of the plates 1 and 2 will cut off the projecting edge of the mold board. The plates are then unfolded to flat relationship and the work 10 withdrawn therefrom to leave a transverse groove 15 in the outer or wall engaging portion of the mold board. Desirably the knife cut may terminate in spaced relationship from the upper and lower edges of the mold board as at 16 to provide a tight joint between the edges of the mold board and the supporting wall.

In preparing the mold board for an exterior corner no further work is necessary and the mold flange 12 is left continuous to stretch around the corner. When an interior corner is to be formed as in Fig. 6 the mold flange 12 is cut in a V-shaped notch and the edge of the notch brought together as at 17.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed to be new and is desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. A work holding jig for bendable strip material comprising a pair of plates provided with coacting pairs of block-like hinge members mounted on the inner sides of the plates and having overlapping end portions projecting beyond the inner edges of the plates, aligned pivots connecting said pairs of hinge members and spaced laterally and equally from the adjacent edges of the plates so that when the plates are in extended position their edges abut and when they are swung to parallel relation the inner edges of the plates are in spaced parallel relation, mandrel supporting bars disposed transversely on the inner side of one of the plates for adjustment transversely of said one plate, and a mandrel mounted on said bars in laterally spaced parallel relation to said one plate and to the inner edge thereof to permit the introduction of work between said one plate and the mandrel with the plates in open position and into lapping relation to the other plate, said mandrel being positioned with its inner periphery adjustable with said mandrel supporting bars between a plane passed through the inner edge of said one plate and perpendicular to said one plate and a parallel plane spaced outwardly from said first plane by a distance approximately equal to the space between said mandrel and said one plate so that when the plates are closed the work is folded around the mandrel with a portion of the fold thereof projecting beyond the inner edges of the plates which edges constitute cutter guides, said plates having opposed grooves opening at their inner edges to receive rib portions of work having a longitudinal rib.

2. A work holding jig for bendable strip material comprising a pair of plates provided with coacting pairs of block-like hinge members mounted on the inner sides of the plates and having overlapping end portions projecting beyond the inner edges of the plates, aligned pivots connecting said pairs of hinge members and spaced laterally and equally from the adjacent edges of the plates so that when the plates are in extended position their edges abut and when they are swung to parallel relation the inner edges of the plates are in spaced parallel relation, mandrel supporting bars disposed transversely on the inner side of one of the plates for adjustment transversely of said one plate, and a mandrel mounted on said bars in laterally spaced parallel relation to said one plate and to the inner edge thereof to permit the introduction of work between said one plate and the mandrel with the plates in open position and into lapping relation to the other plate, said mandrel being positioned with its inner periphery adjustable with said mandrel supporting bars between a plane passed through the inner edge of said one plate and perpendicular to said one plate and a parallel plane spaced outwardly from said first plane by a distance approximately equal to the space between said mandrel and said one plate so that when the plates are closed the work is folded around the mandrel with a portion of the fold thereof projecting beyond the inner edges of the plates.

3. A work holding jig for bendable strip material comprising a pair of plates provided with coacting pairs of hinge members mounted on the inner sides of the plates and having side overlapping end portions projecting beyond the inner edges of the plates, pivots connecting said pairs of hinge members disposed in axial alignment and spaced laterally and equally inwardly from the adjacent edges of the plates so that when the plates are swung to parallel relation the inner edges of the plates are in parallel spaced relation, mandrel supporting bars disposed transversely on the inner side of one of the plates for adjustment transversely of said one plate, and a mandrel mounted on said bars in laterally spaced relation to said one plate and to the inner edge thereof to permit the introduction of work between said one plate and the mandrel with the plates in open position and into lapping relation to the other plate, said mandrel being positioned with its inner periphery adjustable with said mandrel supporting bars between a plane passed through the inner edge of said one plate and perpendicular to said one plate and a parallel plane spaced outwardly from said first plane by a distance approximately equal to the space between said mandrel and said one plate so that when the work plates are closed the work is folded around the mandrel with a portion of the fold 4 thereof projecting beyond the inner edges of the plates which edges constitute cutter guides, said plates having opposed grooves opening at their inner edges to receive rib portions of work having a longitudinal rib.

4. A work holding jig for bendable strip material comprising a pair of plates provided with coacting pairs of hinge members mounted on the inner sides of the plates and having side overlapping end portions projecting beyond the inner edges of the plates, pivots connecting said pairs of hinge members disposed in axial alignment and spaced laterally and equally inwardly from the adjacent edges of the plates so that when the plates are swung to parallel relation the inner edges of the plates are in parallel spaced relation, mandrel supporting bars disposed transversely on the inner side of one of the plates, and a mandrel mounted on said bars in laterally spaced relation to said one plate and to the inner edge thereof to permit the introduction of work between said one plate and the mandrel with the plates in open position and into lapping relation to the other plate, said mandrel having its outer periphery located between a plane passed perpendicularly to said one plate through the inner edge of said one plate and a parallel plane spaced outwardly from said first plane by a distance approximately equal to the space between the mandrel and said one plate so that when the work plates are closed the work is folded around the mandrel with a portion of the fold thereof projecting beyond the inner edges of the plates which edges constitute cutter guides.

5. A work holding jig for bendable strip material comprising a pair of plates provided with coacting pairs of hinge members mounted on the inner sides of the plates and having side overlapping end portions projecting beyond the adjacent edges of the plates, pivots connecting said pairs of hinge members disposed in axial alignment and spaced laterally and equally inwardly from the adjacent edges of the plates so that when the plates are swung to folded relation the inner edges of the plates are in parallel spaced relation, and a mandrel mounted on one of said plates in laterally spaced relation from the inner side of said one plate and from the inner edge thereof to permit the introduction of work between the plate and the mandrel with the plates in open position and into lapping relation to the other plate, said mandrel having its outer periphery located between a plane passed perpendicularly to said one plate through the inner edge of said one plate and a parallel plane spaced outwardly from said first plane by a distance approximately equal to the space between the mandrel and said one plate so that when the work plates are closed the work is folded around the mandrel with a portion of the fold thereof projecting beyond the inner edges of the plates, said plates having opposed registering grooves opening at their inner edges to receive rib portions of work having a longitudinal rib.

6. A work holding jig for bendable strip material comprising a pair of plates provided with coacting pairs of hinge members mounted on the inner sides of the plates and having side overlapping end portions projecting beyond the inner edges of the plates, pivots connecting said pairs of hinge members disposed in axial alignment and spaced laterally and equally inwardly from the adjacent edges of the plates so that when the plates are swung to folded relation the inner edges of the plates are in parallel spaced relation, and a mandrel mounted on one of said plates in laterally spaced relation from the inner side of said one plate and from the inner edge thereof to permit the introduction of work between the plate and the mandrel with the plates in open position and into lapping relation to the other plate, said mandrel having its outer periphery located between a plane passed perpendicularly to said one plate through the inner edge of said one plate and a parallel plane spaced outwardly from said first plane by a distance approximately equal to the space between the mandrel and said one plate so that when the work plates are closed the work is folded around the mandrel with a portion of the fold thereof projecting beyond the inner edges of the plates.

7. A work holding jig for bendable strip material comprising a pair of Work backing and holding plates, hinge means swingably connecting adjacent edges of said plates with a substantial length of the edges unobstructed by the hinge means, said hinge means pivoting on a line spaced laterally and equally from the adjacent edges of the plates permitting folding of the plates into lapped relation with the adjacent connected edges in spaced relation, and a mandrel supported on one of said plates in laterally spaced relation from the inner side of said one plate to permit insertion of a work strip between said one plate and mandrel and spaced from a plane passed perpendicularly to the supporting plate through the fold edge of the supporting plate by a distance no greater than the space between said mandrel and said supporting plate whereby folding said plates will fold a strip of material over the mandrel and expose the fold in the material, said mandrel being adjustable toward and away from said folding edge.

8. A work holding jig for bendable strip material comprising a pair of work backing and holding plates, hinge means swingably connecting adjacent edges of said plates with a substantial length of the edges unobstructed by the hinge means, said hinge means pivoting on a line spaced laterally and equally from the adjacent edges of the plates permitting folding of the plates into lapped relation with the adjacent connected edges in spaced relation, and a mandrel supported on one of said plates in spaced relation from the inner side of said one plate to permit insertion of a work strip between said one plate and mandrel and spaced from a plane passed perpendicularly to the supporting plate through the fold edge of the supporting plate by a distance no greater than the space between said mandrel and said supporting plate whereby folding said plates will fold a strip of material over the mandrel and expose the fold in the material.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

